Animal poke



" ns'cated,

patented 26V, 1930 I UNITED .STATES Vlmxrlalsrr o FFICE f JOHNLQRoUssnY, or nomia: crrY, INDIANA ANIMAL POKE The object'oi` this invention, toprovide a simple and easilyl 'applied device which maggbeliitted to thehead of a grazing animalal] which' will operate'` efficiently to permit the animal to graze uninterruptedly vbut will prick the ani.Wx alsfnose if an attempt be made to--j ump over or run'through a fence. The invention is illustrated iny the accom anying drawing andjwill lie-hereinafter ully set Figure l is a perspective view of a device embodying the invention, the position of the same upon the head of an animal being indi- Figs.`2 and 3 are transverse and longitudinal sections through the box `showing the melns for mounting thenoselpricking plate, an l Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail section through the joint ofthe barrier'stick. l

In carrying'out the present invention, there is provided a box 1 which is open at its bottom and is suitably shaped onlits bottom edges to fit over the animals nose, as clearly shown in Fig. l. 4Connected to the rear side of thel box 1 in any convenient manner, as byvv being passed through a lug 2 projecting from the box, is a head strap 3 which passes up over the 'l 3 0 head of the animal between theears and is attachedat its rear end to a throat strap 4 which passes around the neck ofthe animal and is -fastened beneath the throat. The throat strap and the head strap 3 may be equipped with any form of' buckle'or other fastening which will permit the proper adjustment of the saine, as is obvious. At-

tached tothe sides of the boxl are the'ends of a nose strap 5 which passes around the nose 100i the animal and is fastened beneath the chin, the boX being thus held over the nose'in such a position that the animal may graze freelyo. 'Carried by and depending from the A throat strap 4. is alstick consisting of an up'- per member and a lower member Zpivotally connected by a-tongue and mortise joint, as

indicated at 8, the lower section having secured to itsA rear side a stop plate 9 which projects upwardly and is adapted to bear against theprear ofthe upper section, as

Applicaticn led Iii-1y 26,l

'the hinge pin 12 by w 192e. serial No. 381,243.

.a fence and to that end flexible connections, asA

chains 14, are attachedfto the pricking plate l0 adjacent the `free end thereof and extend downwardly thereirom at opposite sides of the animals nose and at their lower ends are provided with snap hooks or other removable fastenings 15 which arefengaged in an eye or clip 16 uponthe upper nl em'ber 6 'of the stick." It will now be readilyunderstood that, when the an'imals headf.}is'-*l'.wered` to the ground as in the act of grazing, the lower i* section 7 of the stick will fold upwardly so .that thegrazingofthe animal will not be interfered with inv any manner. If, however,

theanimal runs against a fence, the lower end of the stick will be swungybackward by its contact with the fence wires and inasmuch as the backward movement relative to the up- -per section of the stick is prevented by the plate 9 a pull is exerted upon' the'ichains'or other connections 14 which swings the prick- -lng plate downward and causes the spurs or teeth 13 to bear upon the nose of the animal,

whereuponthe animal will at once withdraw` from theie-nce. The pressure upon the stick and through thestick uponfthe prcking plate being thus relieved,I the spring 11 at once swings the plate upward to its normal position. It will be noted that I have provided an exceedingly` simple device which may be easily applied to the head of an animal and when applied willbe secured in such a manner that it cannot be easily detached. The .device will operate entirely automatically so that the wire fencearound grazing lields or pastures will be protected against damage om fractions animals andthe animals willg i;

be protected against injury from contact with 7l* the fence While their feeding' will he freely permitted.

'Having thus described claim: t

An animal polre'eornprising e hex adapted to rest over the nose of on animal, a heed strap connected to said box and extending upwardly over attached to the rear end of the head strep and essing around the aniinels neck, e nose strep attached to the sides oi the box and extending around and under the anirnuls nose, a prickingr plate mounted Within the box, yieldahle means for holding said plete normally away from the aninials -nose', a stiel?k suspended from the throat strap, and flexible Connections between the stick and the prieking plate whereby to permit grazing' of the animal but to cause the prieking plate -to exert pressure on the aninials nose when the stick is brought into Contact with e barrier.

In testimony whereof I a'lix my signature.

JOHN L. Roussin?. it. 8.3'

'the invention,

the aniniels heed, a throat strap 

